self development

What Is Good Self-Care, and Why You Deserve It

All my life I’ve been living in the fast lane Can’t slow down, I’m a rolling freight train One more time, gotta start all over Can’t slow down I’m a lone red rover Oh how did it come to this?         ~Lyrics from “Polaroid” by Imagine Dragons From an early age many… Read more »

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Trust Issues: Why Is It So Hard for Some People to Trust?

It is mutual trust, even more than mutual interest that holds human associations together.                                                                           ~ H. L. Menken… Read more »

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Can You Trust Your Own Perceptions?

If you’re familiar with the psychological term “transference,” you probably associate it with a client in therapy transferring certain feelings onto their analyst. Yet, the meaning of transference is a bit broader and refers to a redirection of emotions, often that originate in childhood, onto someone in the present. As one article on MentalHelp.net put it, “Transference is… Read more »

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The Healing Power of Gratitude

“You were given life; it is your duty (and also your entitlement as a human being) to find something beautiful within life, no matter how slight.” ~Elizabeth Gilbert There is perhaps no better tool to live in the present and find joy than gratitude. Knowing what we appreciate in life means knowing who we are, what… Read more »

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Living Mom’s Life?

“I think I want to be good.”  A warm tear rolls down my cheek.  My ten-year-old and I are watching the climactic scene of Descendants, a new movie from Disney Channel.  The girl uttering this revelation is Mal, daughter of Maleficent.  She is speaking to the boy who loves her. In this lighthearted movie, which… Read more »

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How to Write your Way to Bliss

In the writing workshops I teach, I advocate that writing can save your life.  Using my own life as a compass, I suggest that when navigating difficult waters, we all need something to turn to—whatever tempers our stress levels. For some people, it might be exercise; for others it might be talk therapy. But for… Read more »

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29 Ways to Increase Your Feeling of Self Worth

Having self worth comes from within and can easily be harnessed. Here are 29 ways to increase your feeling of self worth. Self worth comes from within, you won’t find it by having more money, having more friends, having a fancy car or a big house.  It is something intrinsic and something we can’t gain… Read more »

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How to Stop Feeling Overwhelmed

Feeling overwhelmed? You’re not alone. A whopping 44 percent of Americans feel more stressed than they did five years ago. In the past 20 years, our society has seen a 60 percent increase in productivity, and to no great surprise, a majority of American adults are reporting that job-related issues are their main source of stress. According to… Read more »

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Beyond Fear

Fearlessness is a place not absent of fear but beyond it.  When my two sons were just babies, I would sometimes awake at three in the morning overcome with fear. It was a sense of foreboding that tightly grabbed a hold of me, leaving me desperate, breathing in those short, panicky breaths unique to that hour…. Read more »

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Stop Hating Yourself Once and For All

Recently, we’ve called attention to the question of whether narcissism is an epidemic in our nation. Yet, I would argue that it is narcissism’s evil step-sister that is causing the most trouble in people’s lives. Self-hatred is something we may not often say out loud. We prefer softer-sounding terms, like “low self-esteem” or “poor self-image.” The… Read more »

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